• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Very low blood sugar reading

Patrick66

Well-Known Member
Messages
978
Location
Dorset UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People. Noise. Swearing. Many foods.
1.7 then re-tested and my machine said "LO"...no problem with the monitor as its virtually brand new.

So..what do I do ?.

I am at work. Salad and two sausages in the fridge.

Cupcakes in the kitchen..

Do I just let things go and see what happens, or should I have something sugary ?.

Advice please.
 
Eat something, drunk something sugary NOW. Phone 111 for advice
 
A cupcake it is then. Only thing available.

Cupcake eaten- first sugary thing in weeks. Now eating sausages...exciting stuff!
 
xfieldok said:
More than one if you can. Test again in 10 minutes. I feel you have colleagues with you tell them to phone an ambulance if you keel over. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...
Cant test as I don't have my monitor with me..one of those mornings I am sorry to say.

Feel okay. Couldn't face another cupcake. Feel like I have failed big time by being in this situation and having to eat one.
 
I hope you are feeling better now.

A few things to consider
- 1.7 is a low reading. If you are used to higher readings, you are going to feel very shaky with a hypo this low. If you had no hypo symptoms, I would question the meter. You did the right thing to retest. Perhaps you could get some test solutions to test your meter later.
- if you are at risk of hypos you MUST carry fast acting carbs such as dextrose tablets, Lucozade or jelly babies and meter with you as ALL times.
- cupcakes are NOT fast acting as they (and chocolate) contain fat which slows down the carb consumption.
- if you go low, it is important to work out why so you can avoid a similar scenario again. It may be due to too much medication, too little carbs or exercise.

The MOST important thing now is treating your low.
 
xfieldok said:
No you haven't failed, when did you get your low reading?
Click to expand...
This morning- about 7.45.

Eating that cupcake felt like giving in. Doing something I shouldn't have done.
 
Monitor is virtually brand new so there shouldn't be an issue there.

Possibly too few carbs (virtually none to be fair) and I exercised this morning before I tested. Before this I had read 3.3 twice, both in the morning. Feel slightly spaced out but not bad. have eaten two satsumas and some strawberries as well.

May just be one of those things that crops up occasionally.
 
helensaramay said:
Regardless the age of the meter, it may not be correctly calibrated. I would still check it.
And try not to accept a hypo down to "just one of those things". They should be avoided if possible
Click to expand...
Well yes, they should be avoided but I think this was just a combination of things, unfortunately.
 
@Patrick66 Please call your GP/DSN today and speak to them about this - you need to review your medication to save a repeat of this happening again.

Hope you're feeling ok now ?

As Helen has said you need to keep quick acting glucose on you at all times, so anything like jelly babies, dextrotabs, glucotabs, glucogel, carton of apple juice.
 
Hi,

I feel okay thank you. A little light headed but, stupidly, I really haven't eaten much in the last few days. No breakfast, small salad at lunch, half a dozen strawberries and an evening meal of meat and veg.

My appetite really isn't there recently and eating the same thing day in, day out, has become a real chore. Throw in depression, the exhaustion of being Autistic and feeling increasingly isolated etc, and everything's going a bit wrong.
 
@Patrick66 I think having breakfast is really important for you, so please try and eat something tomorrow morning, an omelette is quick and easy, chuck in some ham/mushrooms/cheese to bulk it out and it will keep you full for hours.

I know you're having a rough ride, take it easy on yourself Patrick, try and get some fresh air today if you can, go for a walk, it's a simple way to lift your mood, take some deep breaths, spring is coming so days are getting longer and lighter again, the depression will lift, so believe in this, also just try talking to those around you, whether it's an assistant in a shop just make some small talk with people so you don't feel so isolated. You will get through this, it's good that your talking to us about it
 
Hypo's shouldn't "crop up occasionally", and you can shrug it off, but you know it. Please, take care of yourself. I know indifference and depression are ruling how you eat right now, or rather, barely eat. But you have to listen to your body, if not to us: if you're hypo-ing, something's gone wrong. Have dextro energy with you, jellybabies, or a mini can of coke if need be, but something that'll hit your system fast if you're going too low. I don't care that it doesn't taste like anything: I want you alive. A hypo might not kill you, you might just pass out... But if you hit your head on the way down or something, you're in trouble. And I don't know how you get to work, but I sure hope you're not around too much traffic.

Please, Patrick... Take care of yourself. We care, even if you don't.
 
Its not about not caring.

I want to care but find the struggle real. I ate that cupcake this morning and honestly, it didn't make me feel like I wanted to go back to sugar. In fact I felt weak and pathetic for resorting to it.
I just have so much going on and nothing gets resolved and food just becomes a chore and sometimes an inconvenience.
I don't feel hypo, well, not noticeably according to the obvious symptoms, just a little light headed and tired...but then I had a bad night.
My partner drives me to work. I can but don't drive.
I am just very bad at looking after myself.
 
I wish there was something I could do or say that'd make it all better. As for the cupcake, it was what was on hand and the other options wouldn't've gotten your sugars back up. Nothing pathetic about eating that. Though the sugars in there wouldnt've been fast, so I hope you drank something to go with it.

Maybe you should get your meter checked, just in case. Another member was seeing weird, downright extreme hypo numbers on a new meter and it turned out to be a dud. (Not the strips, but the meter itself. So yeah, it happens.).

I know it's a chore, and hard and everything... I really do. Just try to keep at it. Pretty please?
 
Don't sweat the cupcake, think of it as part of your education. Your not weak and pathetic for eating something to bring you out if a hypo.

Make sure you have your survival kit with you at all times, meter, fast acting glucose of choice etc.

I have glucose tablets in the car and around the house. As a T2 I don't expect to have a hypo but just having them around makes me feel better.
 
Hello Patrick. I have recently been changed over onto insulin and have experienced a couple of hypos. They are not nice at all. It is good practice for someone who is prone to hypos to carry something sugary to deal with hypos and it is not weakness to use these in this sort of case, it is helping your body to work efficiently. What medication are you on? How long diagnosed? Sorry if you have answered these questions before, but it would be helpful to know.

I arranged myself a diabetic bag. I keep my meter, my insulin pens and some glucose tablets in it. It's usefuly to have the meter handy if your blood sugar is a bit up and down. Everywhere I go, my bag goes too.

Hope you are feeling better now.

P62
 
Diagnosed about 5-6 years ago, I think.

Maximum dose of Metformin per day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…